Internet
'Technology of the Internet' As we move into the digital age, the internet becomes a key technology of literacy, aiding us in understanding and comprehending the world around us. A key feature of the internet is its accessibility that led to an exponential increase in the types of media as well as the users contributing and reading the words we place in the digital world. The purpose of literacy in this era is no longer singular, but interlinked, serving the need to fulfill economical goals, social functions, political agendas and many others. Hand in hand with this purpose is the increase in the users. Anyone from amateurs to professionals can create some kind of literature or media. This creates a huge pool of knowledge linked by networks of networks of networks. This bridges together and decreases the boundary of spaces, allowing people to overcome physical space by creating a new digitalized common space. On the side of the audience, we have the ability to choose and select the information we want to obtain, requiring a more critical and selective way of using this technology to our advantage. 'History' The Atlantic Cable (1858) The Atlantic cable laid across the ocean enabled instantaneous communication across the two continents. Although it was a technical failure and only remained in service for a few days, it paved the way for the placing of future cables. Finally, in 1866, undersea cables were successfully placed, and remained in place for almost 100 years Launching of Sputnik (1957) On October 4th 1957, USSR launched Sputnik, the first artificial earth satellite. Fueled by the tension of Cold War and its desire to be a competing superpower, USA formed the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). This union of the nation’s most brilliant people made possible many milestone in computer networking and communications technology Multi-Computer System (1969) Seeing the need for people to communicate simultaneously or within a short period of time without being physically present, ARPA spread its research from private companies to universities and research institution. Around Labor Day in 1969, successful connection was made between two computer terminals at UCLA and Stanford respectively using an Interface Message Processor (IMP). It delivered four lines before the system crashed. Public Demonstration of ARPANET (1972) This took place during the International Conference of Computer Communications of October 1972 with the primary purpose of motivating the people to develop the technology further. Following this public demonstration, researchers and computer scientists continued developing the ARPANET, hoping to allow the public to use it within their homes. Idea of a World Wide Web (1989) The World Wide Web was conceived by Tim Berners-Lee in CERN (Centre European Laboratory for Particle Physics) based on the internal facility’s internet. This operating systems was a side product of CERN’s experiments on particle physics. The proposal was completed and presented in November of the following year The First Web Server in USA (1991) SLAC (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center) in California became the first web server in USA. It was used mainly to hold the content of an existing database of abstracts of physics papers. By 1992, the world has 50 Web servers. 'Classification' The proliferation of the Internet increase the type of literature, and suddenly, anyone can be a writer. The purpose and agenda of these literature are now competing and inclusive all at the same time, allowing the vast amount of information to be used and viewed in different manners. Personal : Blogs are personal spaces in which the author could use to express their views and opinion, creating a space in which they could present anything they want. Anyone and everyone could be a writer on anything and everything. Social : Social networking sites are sites who's specific purpose are to connect people over the internet. In the last decade, there has been a large boom in this domain, expanding the idea of connecting people in different spaces from business and economical usage to a more social and personal one. These include Facebook , Twitter, Myspace and even those for professional usage such as LinkedIn. It also include interest sites, providing an avenue for people of similar interest to come together and promote their cause. Economical : Capitalizing on the increase usage of the internet, companies are able to increase their customer base geographically. It also allow companies to conduct their businesses solely on the internet, increasing efficiency by saving time and money. The main goal of these websites are to make a profit. Political : These could be websites with a political agenda in mind, using the internet as a platform to further their investment in a political interest. By doing so, they are able to gain a greater amount of attention and increase their chance of placing their issue on the national agenda by creating a stir using the internet. It could also be a tool in which government are able to seek feedback and provide information to the general public or garner support for their policies. : 'Effects' The internet has been a remarkable tool that changed the way in which we understand the world around us through literacy. It helped us create a new digital space that is interlinked and connected with one another, bridging physical space and increasing accessibility to the general public. Ubiguity of Information : A feature of the internet is the vast amount of knowledge all contained in a single place. Previously, we had to go to the libraries or bookstores for information on specific topics, magazines to read about the latest fashion and entertainment news, or the newspaper for current news. Now, it is all contained within the internet. With this, accessibility to information increases exponentially. Almost everything we need can be found on the internet and accessed in a timely and efficient manner. Depth of Information : Unfortunately, this also lead us to a drawback. Most of the time, the information we obtain are simply just what we need and nothing more. For example, a wikipedia page only give us a brief overview on a particular subject. Furthermore, with the huge number of users and conflicting goals, information might be presented to us in a way that would manipulate our stand on a certain object. In-depth studies and analysis often require other resources such as books which we don't often turn to. Over-reliance on the internet has discouraged us from seeking for other sources of information. Writers of the Internet : In this digital age, what is considered a "credible" source? The writers of internet articles could be anyone. Using the Internet, we are able to create our own personal "space" and present our own version of a particular topic. Selective Reading : The vast amount of information and the different types of internet literacy gave us the choice to choose what information we wanted to know. We no longer had to read through the whole newspaper to find an article that interests us, or read an entire book to seek the information we want. The internet has thus given us the ability to search on every level of knowledge; broad or narrow, brief overview or in-depth analysis. The internet has also Our Relation with the Internet : In the past, our relation with literacy was more unidirectional, or one-sided. We were simply presented with information and responded to it in our own ways. The internet had greatly altered this by creating an interactive space in which the writers and readers could have a feedback loop. As Bill Gates says, "the Internet has evolved into a uniquely independent information exchange--one that is able to grow organically". By this, he meant that users of the system are able to fuel future developments by providing feedback to current information. Based on information we receive from other websites, we could put together a brand new one focused on our particular interest and this is turn could generate and spark off another creation. This is made possible by common operating standards and little centralized management. Relation between Internet and Space : As mentioned in Kim Veltman's book, Understanding New Media: Augmented Knowledge and Culture, the Internet does not destroy the barriers of space, but rather, change our relation to it. The Internet makes our world smaller, bring people closer together and simplify the world around us. We are able to exchange and communicate information effortlessly and instantly across vast distances, leading to new ways in which businesses are conducted and economies are built. It enable developing countries to capitalize on the digital age to quickly industrialized. : This also led to a new definition of mobility. As we moved from a nomadic society (one where we travel to different places for work or new opportunities) to a more sedentary one, our understanding of space becomes different. We now have collection and access to every place and information we need without ever leaving our house, but we do not gain the experience we could have by traveling, perhaps leading to a compromised combination of a settled and nomadic lifestyle.